The 140th Aviation Regiment is an aviation regiment of the U.S. Army. It has historically been associated with the California Army National Guard's 40th Infantry Division.

Previous aviation units in the California Army National Guard included the 140th Aviation Battalion, the 29th Aviation Company, and the 40th Aviation Company, which was mobilized for Vietnam service in 1968-69.

In 1994, the regiment's 1st Battalion and Companies D (Command), E (Assault), and F (Aviation Intermediate Maintenance) were part of the 40th Division's Aviation Brigade, along with the 1st Squadron of the 18th Cavalry Regiment.[2]

1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci

2.
California Army National Guard
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The California Army National Guard is composed of 18,450 soldiers. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Armys available combat forces, National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau. California Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army, the same enlisted and officer ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The California Army National Guard also bestows a number of awards for local services rendered in or to the state of California. Prior to that time, the California Army Guard originated from the militia established by the Constitution of California in 1849. On April 4,1850, the first California Legislature in San Jose adopted enabling legislation formally establishing a militia of volunteer or independent companies. The law required every free, white, able-bodied male citizen of the State to perform military duty or to pay a $2 fee for nonperformance of this duty. Such payment exempted the person from duty except in case of war, insurrection, invasion, assistance to the sheriff, or a requisition of the militia. It provided that a judge of the court of a county should cause a suitable person to open a book. After required notice, the volunteers were to be organized, and their officers, the volunteer or independent companies were to be armed and equipped as in the Army of the United States. The units were to adopt a constitution and by-laws as well as rules and regulations for the government of its personnel and determination of fines and penalties to enforce them. The first unit, known as the First California Guard, was formed from volunteers in San Francisco, California under Captain Henry Morris Naglee on July 27,1849 and it then was the first organized under state authority. During 1850, Governor Burnett called out the two times. ”The second instance occurred in October 1850, when Governor Burnett ordered the sheriff of El Dorado County to muster 200 men. The commanders were instructed to “proceed to punish the Indians engaged in the attacks in the vicinity of Ringgold. Also two companies of Rangers were organized in San Francisco from members of the three companies that existed in that city then, First California Guard, Washington Guard. However, by the transportation to San Diego was arranged the revolt had been suppressed. In 1853, a company of California State Rangers was organized for the purpose of capturing the famous bandit Joaquin Murietta, at the same time Los Angeles County formed two companies, Los Angeles Rangers and the Los Angeles Guard. In 1854 the Monte Rangers were formed, during 1855 in San Bernardino County the San Bernardino Rough and Ready Cavalry was formed, replaced in 1856 by the San Bernardino Rangers

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Iraq War
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The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict that began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that toppled the government of Saddam Hussein. The conflict continued for much of the decade as an insurgency emerged to oppose the occupying forces. An estimated 151,000 to 600,000 or more Iraqis were killed in the first 3–4 years of conflict and it became re-involved in 2014 at the head of a new coalition, the insurgency and many dimensions of the civil armed conflict continue. The invasion began on 20 March 2003, with the U. S. joined by the United Kingdom and several allies, launching a shock. Iraqi forces were overwhelmed as U. S. forces swept through the country. The invasion led to the collapse of the Baathist government, President Hussein was captured during Operation Red Dawn in December of that same year, the United States responded with a troop surge in 2007. The winding down of U. S. involvement in Iraq accelerated under President Barack Obama, the U. S. formally withdrew all combat troops from Iraq by December 2011. Select U. S. officials accused Saddam of harboring and supporting al-Qaeda, while others cited the desire to end a repressive dictatorship, after the invasion, no substantial evidence was found to verify the initial claims about WMDs. The rationale and misrepresentation of pre-war intelligence faced heavy criticism within the U. S. in the aftermath of the invasion, Iraq held multi-party elections in 2005. Nouri al-Maliki became Prime Minister in 2006 and remained in office until 2014, the al-Maliki government enacted policies that were widely seen as having the effect of alienating the countrys Sunni minority and worsening sectarian tensions. The Iraq War caused hundreds of thousands of civilian, and thousands of military casualties, the majority of casualties occurred as a result of the insurgency and civil conflicts between 2004 and 2007. A1990 Frontline report on The arming of Iraq said, Officially, most Western nations participated in an arms embargo against Iraq during the 1980s. Western companies, primarily in Germany and Great Britain, but also in the United States, sold Iraq the key technology for its chemical, missile, any Western governments seemed remarkably indifferent, if not enthusiastic, about those deals. N Washington, the government consistently followed a policy which allowed and perhaps encouraged the growth of Saddam Husseins arsenal. The Western arming of Iraq took place in the context of the Iran-Iraq War, prior to September 2002, the CIA was the George W. Bush administrations main provider of intelligence on Iraq. The agency was out to disprove linkage between Iraq and terrorism the Pentagon adviser told me, the U. N. had prohibited Iraq from developing or possessing such weapons after the Gulf War and required Iraq to permit inspections confirming compliance. This was confirmed by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, during 2002, Bush repeatedly warned of military action against Iraq unless inspections were allowed to progress unfettered. In accordance with U. N. Security Council Resolution 1441, Iraq agreed to new inspections under United Nations Monitoring, as part of its weapons inspection obligations, Iraq was required to supply a full declaration of its current weapons capabilities and manufacturing

4.
40th Infantry Division (United States)
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The 40th Infantry Division is a modular division of the United States Army. Following the armys modularization the division has become a four brigade combat team division with National Guardsmen from throughout the Pacific/Western United States and its division headquarters is located at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California. Later, the served in Korea and some of its units were designated for Vietnam. The division was later reorganized redesigned as a National Guard unit completely within California, later reorganizations included units from other states. The 40th Infantry Division was organized at Camp Kearny, near San Diego, California, on 16 September 1917 and it was composed of National Guard units from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The division was activated on 18 July 1917, as a National Guard division from the California, Nevada and it was sent overseas on 3 August 1918 and redesignated as the 6th Depot Division, received, equipped, trained, and forwarded replacements. Strong was assigned as commander on 25 August 1917, but was replaced less than a month later by Brigadier General G. H. Cameron on 18 September 1917. The division then saw a rapid turnover of leaders – Brigadier General L. S. Lyon, Brigadier General G. H. Cameron, Brigadier General L. S. Lyon, strong again on 8 December 1917. When the division arrived in France in August 1918, the German Army had just completed a series of offensives that started on 21 March and it was decided that the new divisions would be used as depot divisions, supplying fresh troops to the more experienced combat divisions. By the end of the war, the 40th Division had provided over 27,000 replacements to the 26th, 28th, 32nd, 77th, 80th, 81st, 82nd, the division returned to the United States on 30 June 1919 where it was deactivated. The division was reconstituted on 18 June 1926 with its headquarters in Berkeley, the division was organized much as it was in 1917 with a lot of the units coming from Nevada and Utah. However, the Arizona and Colorado infantry regiments were replaced by two new California regiments, the 184th Infantry and 185th Infantry, in 1937 the division headquarters was moved to Los Angeles. Story Major General Ernest J. Dawley Major General Rapp Brush Brigadier General Donald J. Myers The 40th Infantry Division was activated for World War II on 3 March 1941. It was at the time a National Guard division from the California, Nevada Army National Guard, in February 1942, the 40th Infantry Division was reorganized from a square, two-brigade, four-regiment division to a three-regiment division without any intermediate brigade headquarters. Thus the 79th and 80th Infantry Brigade were inactivated, the division departed for overseas service on 23 August 1942. The divisions first overseas assignment was the defense of the outer Hawaiian Islands, Training continued as defensive positions were improved and maintained. In July 1943, the division was concentrated on Oahu, relieved of the North Sector in October 1943, the 40th entered upon a period of intensive amphibious and jungle training. On 20 December 1943, the first units left for Guadalcanal, and by mid-January 1944, movement was completed, on 24 April 1944, it left Guadalcanal for New Britain

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United States Army Center of Military History
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The United States Army Center of Military History is a directorate within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The center is responsible for the use of history and military records throughout the United States Army. Traditionally, this mission has meant recording the history of the army in both peace and war, while advising the army staff on historical matters. CMH is the organization leading the Army Historical Program. The center traces its lineage back to historians under the Secretary of War who compiled the Official Records of the Rebellion, a similar work on World War I was prepared by the Historical Section of the Army War College. They began publication of the United States Army in World War II series, since then, the Center has produced detailed series on the Armys role in the Korean and Vietnam Wars and has begun a series on the U. S. Army in the Cold War. These works are supplemented by monographs and other publications on a mix of topics and it has expanded its role in the areas of military history education, the management of the armys museum system, and the introduction of automated data-retrieval systems. The centers work with army schools ensures that the study of history is a part of the training of officers, much of this educational work is performed at field historical offices and in army museums. Under the direction of the chief of military history and his principal adviser and those works under way and projected are described in the Army Historical Program, an annual report to the Chief of Staff on the Army’s historical activities. All center publications are listed in the catalog Publications of the United States Army Center of Military History, CMH also serves as a clearinghouse for the oral history programs in the army at all levels of command. It also conducts and preserves its own oral history collections, including those from the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, in addition, the center’s end-of-tour interviews within the Army Secretariat and Staff provide a basis for its annual histories of the Department of the Army. As tangible representations of the mission, military artifacts and art enhance the soldier’s understanding of the profession of arms. CMH manages a system of more than 120 army museums and their holdings, current projects include the establishment of a National Army Museum at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and a complementary Army Heritage and Educational Center at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The Chief of Military History is responsible for ensuring the use of military history in the teaching of strategy, tactics, logistics. This mission includes a requirement that military leaders at all levels be aware of the value of history in advancing military professionalism, in this effort, the chief of military history is assisted by a historical advisory committee that includes leading academic historians and representatives of the army school system. Staff rides enable military leaders to retrace the course of a battle on the ground, as one of the army’s major teaching devices, staff rides are particularly dependent on a careful knowledge of military history. Center historians lead rides directed by the Secretary of the Army and it administers the army’s Command History Program, to provide historical support to army organizations worldwide. To stimulate interest in history in the army and the nation

6.
18th Cavalry Regiment
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Prior to the most recent reorganization of the United States Army National Guard the unit was an aviation unit. It was equipped with AH-1F Cobras, and formed part of the 40th Infantry Divisions Aviation Brigade, the 1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry Regiment, was constituted on 22 July 1885 in the California National Guard as the 7th Infantry Battalion and organized from existing companies in southern California. It expanded, reorganized, and was redesignated on 5 May 1888 as the 7th Infantry Regiment, the unit consolidated on 7 December 1895 with the 9th Infantry Regiment and consolidated unit designated as the 7th Infantry Regiment. It mustered into service on 9 May 1898 at the Presidio of San Francisco as the 7th California Volunteer Infantry. It mustered into service on 29 June 1916 at Sacramento. It was drafted into service on 5 August 1917. It demobilized on 7 May 1919 at Camp Kearny in San Diego, the 2nd Battalion 160th Infantry, reorganized and was redesignated on 1 April 1929 as the 2nd Battalion, 185th Infantry, an element of the 40th Division. It expanded, reorganized, and was redesignated in March–April 1930 as the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 185th Infantry and it was inducted into federal service on 3 March 1941 at home stations. It inactivated on 7 April 1946 at Camp Stoneman, CA, the 2nd Battalion, 185th Infantry, was redesignated on 5 August 1946 as the 223rd Infantry and remained assigned to the 40th Infantry Division. The 223rd Infantry was organized and federally recognized on 15 October 1946 with headquarters at Pasadena Ordered into active service on 1 September 1950 at home stations. The unit was released on 30 June 1954 from active service and reverted to state control. The 139th Tank Battalion reorganized and was redesignated on 1 July 1959 as the 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, 185th Armor, the unit reorganized and was redesignated on 1 March 1963 as the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, 18th Armored Cavalry, and relieved from assignment to the 40th Armored Division. It was withdrawn on 19 January 1988 from the Combat Arms Regimental System, the 1st Squadron was ordered into active federal service on 1 May 1992 at home station and deployed to the LA Riots. 1st/18th was first unit on the ground to secure the LA Coliseum, released on 9 May 1992, in the 2003-2004 time period the unit was activated in support of Operation Noble Eagle. This was followed by a 14-month activation to provide a security force for Camp Delta which fell under the GWOT Campaign, a few of the troopers were assigned to the 184th Infantry during their 2004 deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom, with some dying in combat. During the 2007 California Wildfires approximately 400 soldiers were activated by the Governor of California to assist local authorities in various functions, 1-18th Cavalry was called to active federal service along with the 79th IBCT in October 2008 in support of NATO peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo. 1-18th Cavalry subsequently returned to the U. S. in November 2009, during the 2015 California wildfires, Soldiers with 18th Cavalry were called up to participate in firefighting operations. Attached below the shield is a Gold scroll inscribed VELOX ET MORTIFER in Black letters, the colors yellow and green are used for Armor

7.
United States Army Aviation Branch
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The United States Army Aviation Branch is the administrative organization within the United States Army responsible for doctrine, manning and configuration for all aviation units. The Army would develop a new concept of using the helicopter that would show promise during the Korean War. Army Aviation traces its origins back to the American Civil War, both Union and Confederate forces used hydrogen-filled balloons to direct artillery fire, marking the beginning of U. S. military aeronautics and of aerial support of Army ground forces. The Army also used balloons during the Spanish–American War and World War I, Army Aviation began in 1909 with the Army’s acquisition of its first heavier-than-air aircraft, an airplane built to Army specifications by the Wright brothers. During World War I, the Armys aircraft strength grew from a few dozen to more than 11,000 planes, the Army Air Service was created in May 1918. After World War I, General William Mitchell and other Air Service leaders spoke out forcefully in favor of an independent air force, since they envisioned aviation as a separate striking force, capable of independent operations, they opposed its remaining an arm of the ground forces. Although Congress as well as most Army leaders rejected Mitchells argument, the Air Service did become a combat arm, equal in status to the infantry, cavalry. During the 1930s, many Army Air Corps leaders became preoccupied with strategic air operations, like Billy Mitchell before them, they advocated using air power independently of the Army ground forces to destroy enemy targets behind the lines of combat. This Air Corps emphasis on strategic operations disturbed some ground forces leaders, aerial support was particularly vital for artillery fire adjustment. The Army experimented with using small aircraft for artillery fire adjustment and other functions in maneuvers at Camp Beauregard. The tests were repeated on a scale in the Army maneuvers in Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas. The Armys Grasshoppers, as these light planes came to be called, proved to be more effective than the larger Air Corps planes used for the same purposes. It was this new World War II-era phenomenon with its few small single-engine spotter planes, organic Army Aviation, Organic Army Aviation first entered into combat in November 1942 on the coast of North Africa. After the creation of the Army Air Forces, the Army Ground Forces retained the use of aircraft for artillery forward observation. First use of the helicopter in combat is credited to the USAAF 1st Air Commando Group in Burma in 1943, the 1ACG operated six Sikorsky R-4 helicopters primarily for air rescue and medical evacuation. When the United States Air Force was established as a service in 1947. The Korean War and Vietnam War proved the capabilities of these aviation assets to perform a variety of missions not covered by the Air Force. The Korean War provided new challenges and opportunities for Army Aviation, Organic Army Aviation had acquired its first helicopters, thirteen H-13 Sioux, in 1947, shortly before the U. S. Air Force became independent of the Army